


Lilacs and Ladybugs

by SorryJustAnotherPerson



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Blood, Chloé Bourgeois Redemption, F/F, F/M, Flowers, Good Chloé Bourgeois, Hanahaki Disease, Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant-centric, Oblivious Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, One-Sided Chloé Bourgeois/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Protective Chloé Bourgeois, Slow Burn, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:27:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24241297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SorryJustAnotherPerson/pseuds/SorryJustAnotherPerson
Summary: At first, it was a warmth in her chest that spread through her fingertips, bringing a smile to her face as she thought about Rose’s smile more and more-But then it began to burn- and she found herself doubling over in pain, her hand slapped over her mouth as she began to cough violently into her palm. Juleka’s eyes widened as she pulled her laced glove away, revealing a bloody rose petal.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug (one sided), Chloé Bourgeois & Alya Césaire, Chloé Bourgeois & Juleka Couffaine, Chloé Bourgeois/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug (one sided), Ivan Bruel/Mylène Haprèle, Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant
Comments: 13
Kudos: 79





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Juleka has a sickness..

Juleka smiled as she held the photos in her hand, an overwhelming feeling of happiness flooded through her chest.

Rose was so kind.. she had worked so hard for her today.. she pressed the photos close to her beating heart, a warmth spreading through her lungs, was this love? Her eyes narrowed. For who?

Her copper eyes fluttered open, Rose’s smile flashing across her mind. The warmth began to spread as she thought about her best friend even more, focusing on the image in her brain. She was beautiful.. she hadn’t realized how much she cared for her. How much joy Rose brought in her life.

Her bright smile, how she rambled about love, how she gently touched and embraced Juleka with so much adoration that it just made the gloomy goth melt. Her hidden fierce Personality coupled with the caring and selfless compassion made Juleka sigh in awe.

Her grip on the photos tightened as she realized- _I’m in love with Rose.._ She smiled _I’m in love with.._

At first, it was a warmth in her chest that spread through her fingertips, bringing a smile to her face as she thought about Rose’s smile more and more-

But then it began to burn- and she found herself doubling over in pain. The photos dropped from her grasp as she collapsed to the floor.

A bubbling pain erupted from her lungs as she wheezed for breath, her hand slapped over her mouth as she began to cough violently into her palm. Juleka’s eyes widened as she pulled her laced glove away, revealing a bloody rose petal.

”..What..?” She rasped, throat raw and prickling with pain- she looked downwards at the ground, some of her blood had dropped onto the ground and to the pictures. With her cleaner hand, she picked up the picture of her and Rose- her heart sank

_I’m in love with Rose.. and she doesn’t love me back.._

Juleka barely made it to the toilet when the coughing began again.

Later that night, when Luka asked if she was okay, she smiled and nodded- but she couldn’t speak. Her throat was burning with pain, raw with blood and sickness.

”Just a cough” she said weakly, as she hid the dark red rose behind her hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place directly after Reflekta.  
> Chapters will be longer after this.


	2. Chapter 2

Rose arrived to school early today, her smile faltered slightly as she saw Juleka’s empty seat.

”She’s probably just late, you know.. cause of yesterday” Marinette said nervously. Rose nodded quietly

”Right..” she murmured

However as the start of class began to dawn nearer, the short blonde found herself becoming increasingly more anxious over her best friend’s arrival. Her hands fumbled nervously, uncomfortable with the lack of Juleka in the room.

Right before the bell rang though, she grinned with joy as she saw the goth slink through the door and rush to her seat.

”Juleka!” She exclaimed, as she sat down “I was getting worried!”

“Sorry Rose, I didn’t get much sleep last night that’s all..” Her best friend smiled weakly, voice hoarse. Rose’s eyes narrowed with concern.

”Are you okay?” She asked, leaning closer to her. Juleka winced, before nodding quickly

”Fine.. ‘m fine.. I just have..” her copper eyes looked off “..I just have a cough, that’s all..”

Before Rose could ask more, Miss Bustier waltzed into the front of the room, beginning her lesson- and soon, her worries were pushed down over work.

...

Juleka stumbled to the bathrooms, she choked on a mouthful of blood as she rushed inside to hack into the toilet. Blood splattered out of her throat as she felt her arms grow stiff. She had barely been able to escape Rose’s worried antics, and it wouldn’t be long before her best friend would find her..

She stood up weakly as a trail of blood dripped down her chin, she eyed the flowers inside the toilet discreetly, before flushing it just as fast. Gardenias. She recognized them. Rose talked about them a lot.

The red ones meant Secret Love between two people- and with the dark icky blood that had covered it- it was pretty safe to say it was crimson.

Juleka took a deep breath as her throat burned.

”Keep it together.. _keep it together.._ ” she muttered, before quickly exiting the stall- making a bee line to the sink and washing her face. Her hands trembled as she stared at her reflection. Juleka’s hair was disheveled, and she wore deep and dark eye bags. Her cheeks were flushed and she looked sickly.

”Jeez, who the hell did you murder to look like _that_?” A shrill and snotty voice sneered from behind her. Juleka spun around to see Chloe entering the bathroom. _Fucking damn it_

“ _No one._ ” she snarled, as her grip on the sink tightened “But it’ll be _you_ soon if you keep bothering me, _Chloe_..”

The blonde flinched, looking genuinely shocked at Juleka’s outburst. She seemed to be thinking something, her lip twitched and eyebrows quirked upwards, before she decidedly scoffed

”Yeah right! As if you could do anything to me Couffa-“ Chloe paused, as she coughed into her hands. Juleka’s eyes widened as she watched the blonde’s arms quake with pain. The girl in front of her found herself hacking violently.

”Chloe are you okay?” She said, edging forward. Chloe glared at her, turning her back towards her as she finished her coughing fit. Juleka could hear her snarl with irritation as she wiped her mouth, before turning back to the goth, her hand was gripping tightly to something

”No one asked _Couffaine_.. a-and like I said- you can’t do anything to _me_..” The blonde spat, voice quaking. She eyed the sink next to Juleka- tapping her foot impatiently “W-Well? You gonna leave or what?”

Juleka’s eyes narrowed. _She wants me to leave.. and I want to leave too.. but I won’t.. cause she’s hiding something.._

“Chloe open your hand.” She said sternly. Chloe’s eyes widened with fright, it was like cornering an injured animal. Juleka knew what _that_ felt like.

”W-Why should I?” She sputtered, venom dripping from her voice. She bit her lip intensely as she began to stalk forward

” _I said open it Chloe.._ ” Juleka commanded, grabbing onto her wrist. She pulled it upwards, as she found Chloe to be immensely weak- her eyes widened as she realized what was in the blonde’s hand.

A bloody heap of a flower. Specifically a daffodil. Juleka froze in place. _She has it too.. Chloe has it too..!_ She realized with dawning horror. 

In her dazed weakness- Chloe attempted to yank her hand back, as her face twisted with rage.

”What the hell Couffaine?!” She yelled, as she struggled against the goth’s grasp, surprised at her brute strength.

”..you..” Juleka rasped, her hand trembling “..you too..”

That made Chloe shut up

”W-What?”

”..you.. you have it too..” Juleka repeated, her copper eyes squinting with pain “.. _Who_?”

The blonde stared at her, sapphire eyes darting from Juleka’s bloody fingertips and edge of her lips- the disheveled hair and sick look- Chloe winced, pulling her hand away as she dropped the flowers tightly. The thin yellow petals littered the tile beneath them.

”Who else..?” She asked shallowly, Juleka watched as the steel enforced walls of Chloe Bourgeois crumbled before her “Who else.. but _her_?”

...

Juleka walked home alone that day. She had about three more hacking fits that day, one was a risky one as it was caused by Rose leaning on her- so she had to scramble away to cough

_Damn it.. if I’m gonna puke out a flower every time I have a gay panic attack then I’m not gonna make it till the end of the month_ she thought jokingly, before pausing. _How long has Chloe.._

The goth shook her head as she tried to forget about the bathroom. She licked her lips, still feeling the blood on her tongue.

Juleka turned a corner tiredly, leaning against the alley wall. _God just let me disappear_ she begged in her mind. Rose had been hounding her with concern all day.. it was sickeningly sweet.

She bit back another choking feeling, swallowing a mouthful of blood. She dug her nails into the brick behind her as she struggled to breath. Juleka shuddered with pain, trying to push it back- before doubling over and immediately running deeper into the alley to hurl.

She fell against the wall, the dark corner of the alley had smelt of smoke and waste. Juleka looked up hazily as dribbles of blood fell down her jaw, she could feel her air pipe suddenly contract- something bigger was inside her throat-

Her legs wobbled beneath her as she hacked violently into her palms- no doubt her gloves would be ruined-  
  


Blood gushed out of her throat, it was getting harder to breath as Juleka’s heart began to beat rapidly 

Hesitantly, she reached into her jaw- her gag reflex caused her to tear up as she began to slowly pull out the rooted vines in her jaw. Juleka almost barfed for real when she saw the tangled mess that came out of her own throat.

It was dark, and covered in a _lot_ of blood. This wasn’t like the horror movies she loved. The gore she could handle on the tv. But this was real. This was hers. Looking beyond the roots was the blooming and dripping flower- a bright red carnation.

Her shoulders slumped as she leaned against the wall, her breathing ragged. Tears rolled down her cheeks, blood staining her teeth. She prayed that her mom wouldn’t be home. She prayed that Luka would be late with his job. She begged that Rose would love her one day.

Her prayers were answered- but beggars never choose.

Juleka sat alone on the houseboat, she had thrown her gloves into the wash- along with her other clothing- leaving her to laying tiredly in a stolen hoodie and some shorts. Her eyes narrowed, as she lifted up a flower petal.

Her eyes traced it tiredly before her gaze moved to the class photos across her room. Her heart ached, as she covered her face.

”fucking damn it..” she whimpered, tears falling down her cheeks.

...

Chloe threw her pillow across the room, heaving for breath.

”Fucking SHIT!” She yelled, before collapsing against her bed with a thump. Chloe covered her red face, _damn it damn it damn it.!_

”Damn that Couffaine..” she hissed through gritted teeth “How dare she.. how fucking dare she.. she..”

Before, the goth had looked at her with such annoyance, but now it was.. _sympathy_?

She shook her head,

_No. It was pity.. that was the only thing it was- pity!_

Chloe snarled, as a bubble of pain caught into her throat. She quickly sat up as she felt herself coughing again, her tear filled eyes narrowed into a scowl as blood dropped into her palm. A few small striped petals fell from her mouth, as an image flickered across her brain.

’ _Marinette stared at her with an intensity she had never seen before._

_”All that is necessary for the triumph of evil, is that good people do nothing!” The fashion designer said confidently, glowing with confidence. She rose an eyebrow_

_”What’s that supposed to mean?” Chloe sneered, her breath catching at her throat as she stared sharply into Marinette’s bluebell eyes. The girl crossed her arms_

_“It means that I’m not putting up with your crud anymore, Chloe, and neither is anyone here, so take your attitude and go on, get lost!” Marinette said, eyes narrowing-_

_-And something in Chloe broke. There was a sinking feeling she had never expected to feel from her enemy. Chloe scoffed, avoiding eye contact with any of her other classmates as she slumped down into a chair.’_

Chloe lurched forward, her hands trembling as a flower began to climb up her throat. Flower petals fell onto the edge of her bed before she found herself holding bigger clumps of petals- then a whole flower.

Her chest heaved for breath, she could feel it inside her.. she could feel it’s roots tangling with her lungs. Chloe started with bloodshot eyes at the flowers in her hands.

”..damn it..” she hissed, pressing the flowers close to her heart as her ruined blonde hair fell over her face. “Why fucking me..?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some flower language for y’all  
> Gardenias: secret love, joy, purity  
> Daffodils: unrequited love, new beginnings- single daffodils can mean bad luck  
> Carnations (red): Deep love and affection  
> Carnations (striped): rejection or regret


End file.
